The present invention relates to a carrier, especially such one which is suitable for storage and transport of golf clubs but which also may be used for transport and storage of other objects.
1. Prior Art
Carriers of the above mentioned type are widely known and they exist in a great number of variations. They are especially used at golf games, when one has to transport a number of clubs which may be unsuitable to carry because of their weight and their great number. Therefore, the carriers are provided with wheels of a light construction, they comprise an elongated bag which is intended to accommodate the golf clubs, and they also have a handle of some type, by which they can be brought. It is common that the wheels are rotatably mounted on some type of a frame, which in turn supports the bag itself and the handle.
2. Technical Problem
It is not always necessary to bring a great number of clubs on the golf course, and therefore it may be suitable to have a lighter bag for one or a few clubs. A carrier of the conventional type is then often unnecessarily heavy and troublesome to bring for the transport of only one or some clubs. However, most conventional golf carriers are manufactured in such a way that one has to bring the whole carrier even if you only have a few clubs, which would be easy to carry. Therefore, for a long time there has been a desire that one should be able to convert a golf carrier into a golf bag only. Preferably, this could be made in a flexible manner, so that wheels, handle etc may be mounted/dismounted at the desired occasions independent of other peripherals, or alternative may be left at the starting point, e.g. in the car.
So far, known attempts to obtain such a solution has failed to solve the problem in a satisfactory way. A general problem is that known solutions do not provide the desired space for the golf clubs popping up from the bag. Further, they suffer from additional problems, which are probably of importance for the lack of commercial success. Through e.g. GB 762,002 a carrier is previously known for storage and transport of golf clubs, a wheel frame and a handle, wherein one from an elongated back element removable wheel frame is mounted on the lower portion of the back element, a handle is mounted on the upper portion of the back element, the wheel frame has the shape of a U turned downwards, which frame at the web of the U is removably mounted to the back element, and that the transitions between the wheel frame and the legs are designed with a radius (R) corresponding to half the diameter (D) of the wheels, so that the wheels may be kept within the wheel frame. However, said known solution has strength problems because of weakness at the mounting point, which can be subject to heavy forces during use. Further, the securing of the wheels in storage position is based on the wheels being elastic and compressible, which normally is not the case for wheels of today""s golf carriers. Moreover, it shows an expensive solution for the mounting of the wheels on the wheel frame in an active position. Another solution is known through U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,152, which shows the essential drawback that the wheels and the wheel frame cannot be stored in an integral and compressed manner. Further, the construction seems to be clumsy, especially as the storage of the wheels lengthens the lower portion of the bag.
3. Solution
An objective of the present invention is to eliminate, or at least minimize, one or some of the above mentioned problems, which is achieved with a carrier, especially intended for storage and transport of golf clubs, including one or several bags, a wheel frame and a handle, which are preferably made of aluminium, wherein a removable wheel frame supporting the bag/s from an elongated back element is mounted to the lower portion of the back element, ad a removable handle is mounted to the upper portion of the back element, the wheel frame has the shape of a U turning downwards, which at the web of the U is removably mounted to the back element, and the transitions between the web of the wheel frame and the legs are designed with a radius (R) corresponding to half the diameter (D) of the wheels, characterised in a cross bar which is provided on the wheel frame and which extends from one leg to the other, which cross bar is provided with one or several support means, so that the wheels in dismounted condition may be clamped between the transitions and the support pins.
According to further aspects of the invention:
the handle is provided with a bent portion, which bends out away from the bag to achieve a large space for the clubs or the like popping up from the bag;
edge means are provided in the transitions between the web and the legs;
that the wheel frame is removably mounted to the back element through a male portion and a female portion, respectively, which may be secured into each other by locking means, preferably a manually influencible quick-acting locking means, which may be locked without using any tools, wherein the wheel frame preferably has a recess at the outer side of the web to accommodate a flat element mounted on the lower portion of the back element, as well as a manually turnable locking screw, which is accessible from the inside of the wheel frame, for locking of the recess to the flat element;
the bag has a back carcase, which is provided with a leg stand;
a socket, which is provided at the upper portion of the back element, for accommodation of the lower insertable portion of the handle;
a locking device, which may be manually activated, for the connection of the handle to the back element, wherein the handle bends out from the bag above the locking screw in order to establish a larger space for the clubs popping up from the bag;
attachment means for removable or fixed mounting of a bag are arranged at upper and lower ends of the back element, preferably the lower fastening means being arranged adjacent to the bottom portion of the bag;
one or several removable deposit pocket/s is/are attached to the bag; and
one of the removable deposit pockets is sized to accommodate the wheel frame with dismounted wheels as well as the handle portion, and that it preferably is intended for mounting on top of a deposit pocket, which is fixedly attached to the bag.